French plant-based ingredients manufacturer Roquette has entered into a partnership with Royal Canin, part of Mars Incorporated, and Soil Capital to support regenerative wheat farming in France through a joint investment model aimed at strengthening agricultural sustainability and reducing supply chain emissions.
The initiative covers more than 60 farms and over 4,700 hectares of agricultural land, bringing together an ingredient supplier, a global pet nutrition company and a regenerative agriculture specialist to share the financial responsibilities of transitioning towards sustainable farming practices.
Under the agreement, Roquette will continue supplying traceable plant-based ingredients to Royal Canin's manufacturing facilities across Europe, while both companies will jointly finance regenerative agriculture programmes implemented by Soil Capital.
According to Roquette, the initiative represents Soil Capital's first co-investment partnership involving both a supplier and a buyer, creating a framework for supporting farmers within a shared agricultural supply chain.
The programme incorporates financial incentives for participating growers. Under Soil Capital's certification model, 70 per cent of the value generated from each Soil Capital Certificate is directed to farmers, providing financial support linked to verified agricultural practices and outcomes.
The collaboration also addresses challenges associated with measuring and reporting agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Royal Canin and Roquette use different carbon accounting methodologies for wheat-derived ingredients, with Royal Canin applying economic allocation and Roquette using mass-based allocation.
Through Soil Capital, the companies will use a common source of verified farm-level data while maintaining their respective emissions reporting frameworks.
The partnership supports both companies' broader climate commitments. Royal Canin has set a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 compared with 2015 levels, while Roquette aims to reduce its Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 25 per cent by 2030 against a 2021 baseline.
Beyond France, the partners intend to explore opportunities to replicate the co-investment approach across additional crops, geographical markets and agricultural supply chains.
The initiative highlights a developing approach to regenerative agriculture financing, in which ingredient manufacturers and downstream buyers share transition costs rather than leaving farmers to bear the full financial burden of adopting new agricultural practices.
